What Is Distance Education? And Why Is It So Important? (1)

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What Is Distance Education? And Why Is It So
Important? Bringing education to the people is
more important than bringing people to the
education.
Distance Learning is the term given to an
educational process where students dont need to
go to college daily and can continue with their
education at the comfort of their time, place and
schedule.
There are numerous colleges offering a large
number of campus programmes, but there has always
been a growing need for off-campus programmes
for students who cant make it to college
daily. And so, distance education came into
existence.
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The distance between a learner and teacher is
bridged through distance education. Earlier in
the times, distance education meant just
correspondence education where off-campus
programmes were designed and students didnt need
to come to college daily. They were provided
with printed study material to ease their
self-learning process and they have to come to
their respective Study centres to give
examinations.
Apart from this method, there is another way of
distance learning, and that is online learning.
It is also one of the most preferred methods of
learning during the pandemic. Online learning
during Covid attracted people like anything.
Students were unable to enrol for a regular
course due to social distancing and didnt want
to waste an academic year of their education,
therefore the best thing that came to the rescue
was online learning programmes, that helped many
people to study during the corona crisis.
Many students enrolled on online courses to adopt
virtual learning. This is implemented through e-
tools by Universities to give the students the
best learning experience. This includes the use
of a Learning Management System (LMS), e-books,
digital textbooks, virtual classes, recorded
lectures, video conferencing, e-library and many
more, as designed by the Institution. Due to the
fast-pacing demand for such courses, many
Universities have started introducing specialized
distance programmes to reach the unreached,
especially to facilitate and spread education
amidst the pandemic. All you need is a system
and a stable network connection and your college
is at your home. Whereas the various Massive
Open Online Courses (MOOCs) require no approval,
all programmes leading to the award of degrees
have to be approved by the regulator, that is,
the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The major importance of distance learning is
because of the incessant benefits it brings along.
Flexibility The major importance of Distance
learning methods is because it provides way more
flexibility than regular courses. It provides
the students to learn on the go as per schedules
of their convenience. It
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provides the flexibility of time, place and
schedule without disturbing their other tasks as
it is remote based and students can complete
their education without having to do to college
daily.
Low fees These courses are not financially
straining like the regular courses. If you need
to enrol for a regular course in a decent
University, you need to be ready with a handsome
amount of money. There could be times where you
cant enrol for a course just because of its high
fees. But distance education solves these
problems, quite effectively. The fees of distance
courses, whether correspondence or online are
comparatively much lower than that of regular
on-campus programmes.
No age limit If you could not complete your
studies on time, or have to drop your higher
education in between the session, you can
restart your academic graph whenever you want.
There is no maximum age limit in the distance
method of learning, unlike the regular mode. Even
if youre 40 and want to complete your studies,
distance education will help you do that.
E-learning resources If you feel that youd be
unable to get the most out of this study method,
then you should know what facilities this mode
of learning. Universities ensure that the
e-learners get the best learning experience as
they get in the campus studies. It is made
possible through various e-learning resources
and tools such as digital textbooks, quick
learning book, simulated case studies, practical
assignments, online discussion forums, web
resources for research, gamified practice tests
and other latest technology methods as designed
by the University.
Time-saving
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The distance method saves time by providing
flexibility in time and schedule. You can manage
other tasks at home or continue with your
employment while completing your education. It
also saves travel time since your college is at
home and you dont need to go anywhere to attend
classes. The time saved can be utilized for other
productive tasks.
Study-life balance There could be people who
are busy in their personal life, have kids to
take care of, running a business or just cant
find time to attend regular classes. But they
have been willing to complete or upgrade their
education. The distance method of learning brings
a study-life balance for them as they can manage
both without compromising anything.
Promotions/Career enhancement For people who
are already employed but want to study further,
distance learning comes as a blessing for them.
There are many companies that demand MBA or other
high qualification for promotions. The
candidates can thus complete their higher studies
without leaving their jobs. It also allows
students to change or upgrade job roles and climb
the career ladder faster.
Recognition Online degrees are accepted by many
companies and employers in India as long as it is
accredited and approved by Distance Education
Council (DEC) of India. Many organizations are
encouraging their employees for getting online
education as well. The value of distance learning
courses holds the same value and recognition as
that of the regular courses as approved by
University Grants Commission. Whereas the
various Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
require no approval, all programmes leading to
the award of degrees have to be approved by the
regulator, that is, the University Grants
Commission (UGC).
Practical learning
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Distance learning is also important from the
point of view of fast-changing technology. The
continuous use of e-tools, e-resources and online
learning methods will groom the students with the
usage of technology and be hands-on with the
virtual world things. It will help them to
continuously update and upgrade them with the
global needs and changing demands.
Online learning during the pandemic helped the
students to complete their education even while
sitting at home. Distance education during
Covid-19 got a new life and importance since
people and Universities realized the growing
need and demand for internet-based learning or
learning at your convenience, which is the
future of education. The course and curriculum
are strategically designed to ease the
self-learning process for the students enrolled
on the distance degree programmes.
The only challenge that people face is to find
the best combination among the huge list of
courses and colleges. To simplify your search
and make the best career decision, the
counsellors by VidyaPlanet are helping you in
your distance education journey through free
counselling at no hidden costs.
So why wait?
Enrol today to shape your future tomorrow!
Btw, you ever thought you could attend classes
while eating snacks?
Talk to our counsellors and simplify your
search. Visit https//vidyaplanet.in Email
info_at_vidyaplanet.in For More Information Call
0172-4081939 Follow _at_vidya_planet for
updates. Add 408-409,SCO -148/149, Sector 34 A,
Chandigarh